Saturday, October 20, 2012

The price tag on sexual assault / rape in Ireland

I am angry. I am also worried that there is a trend developing within the Irish judiciary system that facilitates the commercialisation of sexual crimes. In July this year Anthony Lyons was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 27 year old woman. He was given a six year sentence whereby five and a half years was suspended and he was ordered to pay €75,000. Lyons defence was that the effects of the cough medicine, alcohol and medication for high cholesterol "left him unable to resist what he did."
Judge Hogan acknowledged that the victim will suffer long term psychological effects as a result of the sex crime but he decided that both society and the victim deserved financial compensation. The public outrage afterwards should be an indicator that society did not concur with Judge Hogan's sentencing.
Fast forward to October this year to the Graham Griffiths case. He was convicted of sexually assaulting a 17 year old girl in April 2011. Judge Martin Nolan ordered Griffiths to pay €15,000 within the year to the victim and if he pays up his four year sentence will be suspended. According to Griffiths he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and was under "some magnetic force" that compelled him to sexually assault the girl. Can you spot the pattern yet? Both men attributed their actions to medication, alcohol or drugs and both men were given the opportunity to buy their way out of prison.
So what about the victims of these crimes? These two women who were walking down the street, minding their own business, who were forced to endure viscous sexual assault against their bodies and their souls, suffer the trauma of going to the guards to make statements, wait upon the decision of the DPP on whether it will go to court and then to have to go to court and testify. Neither woman had to give evidence but both of them chose to take the stand. That to me indicates not only their bravery but the very deep need to be heard and receive justice. Instead the crimes committed against these women are reduced to a price tag. I have no idea what type of hell these two women are experiencing right now but I strongly suspect that one of those feelings is betrayal.
According to the Director of Public Prosecutions all cases are made on behalf of the people of Ireland. As such I read this in two ways. 1) the justice system is supposed to represent the interests of the people of Ireland and 2) the justice system has a responsibility to fairly represent both the accused and the victim of the crime. In the instances where a person is found guilty then it is only right, fair and proper that the victim is given fair and proper justice.
As one of the people of Ireland I demand that the commercialisation of sexual crimes be stopped immediately and that all those who are convicted of sexual crimes serve a proper prison sentence and the victim is properly supported and secure in the knowledge that when they have the courage to report a sex crime and follow it through via the judiciary system that they receive proper justice.
It is crucial that this practise is stopped and nipped in the bud now. I am heartened that there is widespread anger and that it is being discussed amongst politicians in the Seanad but more needs to be done to cut out the rot we have in Ireland in relation to sexual crimes. We need proper sentencing, victims of sexual crimes need proper support from the judiciary system in Ireland and from the wider community in general. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and others are at the coalface of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse and they do tremendous work but it is not enough, the rest of society has to come on board and demonstrate their anger through action. If you feel like me then please either share this blog, contact your local TD, write to the papers or support victims of sexual crimes in some form or other because when a judge passes a sentences, he or she is doing it on behalf of the people of Ireland and that Ladies and Gentlemen is you and me.

4 comments:

The victims of these sex crimes were essentially treated like prostitutes and paid off for services rendered. That's not a man/woman feminist argument like you're making, it's a right/wrong thing and clearly it is wrong to have sex offenders (not ALL MEN!) buying their way out of trouble and walking the streets. You're taking two cases and blowing them out of all proportion. Your language is also overly emotional to manipulate people into supporting your feminist agenda ("forced to endure viscous sexual assault against their bodies and their souls", we have bodies, that's a fact, a soul depends on your religious persuasion.) There's an old saying "the law is an ass." No doubt it will continue to be for the forseeable future.

About Me

I write, I read, I pontificate - hence the blog. I can be found tweeting randomly @h_a_quinn. A sample of my stories and poems can be heard at http://audioboo.fm/helenquinn or at http://audioboo.fm/AWayWithWords. I'm a member of Cill Dara Writer's circle and a co-facilitator with WriTeen Scene, a creative writing group for teenagers.